India is currently in the middle of an absorbing and highly competitive test match series in England. That is enough for millions of fans around the world to tune in and keep up-to-date with developments. But the series also kicked off both nations’ World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and that is a trophy that India is desperate to win.
Although India currently sits fourth in the ICC men’s rankings for test cricket, there will be many fans around the world, as well as the best online betting sites in California, predicting that the team will be one of the favourites to win the next WTC final when it comes around in 2027.
India played in both of the first two finals, losing first to New Zealand in 2021 and then to Australia two years later. It then missed out on the latest final, played at Lord’s in June, after finishing third in the table behind Australia and eventual champion, South Africa.
India is part of the big three in cricket but is really in a league of its own when it comes to the marketing and profitability of the sport. It should really be competing for every WTC title but the team is going through a period of transition at the moment. The retirement of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has left some very big shoes to fill. But Shubman Gill has already shown that he has the ability to lead the team by example and, even if the series in England is lost, there should be great hope for the future.
India is actually getting its toughest test task out of the way first, with the list of opponents looking far more agreeable as the two-year WTC cycle goes on. While Australia and England will battle for the Ashes at the end of this year, Gill and his team will face both the West Indies and South Africa on home soil before the end of 2025. Those are both very winnable series and then the squad will not play another test match until August 2026, when two are scheduled in Sri Lanka.
A tour of New Zealand comes later in 2026 before India finishes its WTC cycle off with what could be a crucial series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The fact that that meeting will also take place in India gives the home side a great chance of qualifying for the WTC final – if that is still an option at that point.
Much of the cricket world takes more notice of the shorter formats of the game these days – and India actually top the men’s ranking for both T20I and ODI – but there is still something very special about test match cricket. The added cache of being able to declare yourself the World Test Championship winners should be something that every cricketer aspires to. No Indian has been able to do that up until now – but that might all change in 2027.